Swimming belt



Jan. 31, 1939.

A. J. BOUDREAUX SWIMMINGl BELT original Filed March 24, 193e;l

Patented Jan. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFIQE SWIMMING BELT Application March 24, 1936, Serial No. 70,636 Renewed June 24, 1938 2 Claims.

My invention relates to a swimming belt, and has for its principal objects to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the eX- isting forms of swimming belts, and to provide a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive swimming belt of the inflatable type that may be easily and quickly applied to or removed from the body, and which may be worn either beneath or on the outside of a bathing suit.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a bathing belt that is especially designed to be positioned around the body just below the arms, in order that the belt, when properly inflated, will exert lifting effect on the upper portion of the Wearers body, thereby tending to keep the head of the wearer above the water, and further to construct the belt so that it has no unwieldly or bulging portions when properly inflated, and further to provide a belt of the character referred to, that in nowise interfers with the free movements of the wearer while swimming or floating on the water.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a swimming belt that may be easily and conveniently inflated by the blowing of air through a tube connected to the upper front portion of the belt, and which tube is folded upon itself several times and positioned within a keeper after the belt has been inflated, and which arrangement effectively prevents the escape of air from the belt.

With the foregoing and other objects in View my invention consists in certain novel features of construction Yand arrangements of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is an elevational view of the belt, and looking against the rear face thereof.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view showing the belt in position upon the wearers body.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is a detail'elevational view of the central portion of a modied form of the belt.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, I0 and I I designate respectively, the front and rear walls of the belt, which walls are practically identical in size and'shape and composed of rubber or rubberized fabric. The length of the belt, composed of the walls one arranged directly upon the other, is such that the belt will pass completely around the wearers body just below the arms, and the width of the belt may vary, for instance, from six to ten or twelve inches.

The upper and lower edges of the walls of the belt are permanently united, for instance, by vulcanizing narrow strips or portions of the walls directly to each other, such vulcanized portions being designated by the numeral I2, or said edges may be secured to each other by a suitable waterproof cement or by two or more rows of stitching.

The end portions of the walls are permanently secured to each other either by Vulcanizing, stitching, or by water-proof cement, such permanent connection being located a short distance inwardly and parallel with the end edges of the walls as designated by I3.

The end edges of the walls beyond these connections I3 are spaced apart in order that they may receive between them tapes Il, or narrow strips of fabric that carry the hooks or complementary members I5 of a conventional sliding fastener. These tapes I4 may be either vulcanized between the edges of the front and rear walls or secured thereto by rows of stitching, such as Ilia.

O However, if desired, the ends of the belt may be detachably connected by any conventional means, such as snap fasteners, hooks and eyes, buttons and buttonholes, or by laces that pass through eyelets. At suitably spaced distances apart, the front and rear walls of the belt are permanently united by vulcanizing or otherwise, along lines I6 that extend from points near the connected upper edges of the belt, to points near the connected lower edges of said walls. These lines of connection I6 are disposed parallel with each other and extend substantially at right angles tothe upper and lower edges of the belt, thus forming a plurality of vertically disposed air pockets I8, and the upper end of eachv pocket is connected to the immediately adjacent pockets by short ducts or openings I9, so that all of the pockets I 8 are in communication with each other. These ducts or openings I9 are located between the connected upper edges of the walls I0 and II, and the upper ends of pockets I8. The lower portions of the walls of the belt between the lower portions of the lines of connection I6 are permanently secured to each other by vulcanizing, cement or stitching, as designated by 20, thus bifurcating or dividing the lower portion of each pocket I8 into two smaller and shorter pockets 2|, and the `lower ends of these lower pockets have communication with each other through short ducts or openings 22 that are formed between the connected lower edges of the walls of the belt and the lower ends of said pockets 2 I. (See Fig. 6.)

As a result of the arrangement just described, the belt is provided with a plurality of air chambers or pockets, that are all in communication with each other, and the pockets being arranged so that when the belt is inilated, a greater volume of air is contained in the pockets I8 in the upper half of the belt, than in the relatively small pockets 2I in the lower half of the belt, and thus when the belt is positioned on the wearers body, the greatest buoyancy and lifting effect is produced by the upper portion of the belt, or that portion that is positioned just beneath the arms of the wearer.

This disposition of the air volume in the pockets of the belt is brought about by the provision of the lines of connection 20 that divide the lower portions of the chambers I8 into the relatively small chambers 2l, which latter have a small air capacity, as compared to the capacity of the chambers I8.

Secured to the upper edge of the belt near one end thereof, and communicating with the air space within the belt, is one end of a flexible tube 23, that is used for inflating the belt, and after the inflating operation, the free end of this flexible tube is folded several times upon itself and inserted beneath a short strap or keeper 23a that is secured to the front wall of the belt a short distance below the upper edge thereof. (See Fig. 3.)

My improved swimming belt is inflated by blowing air through tube 23, and after such inflation, the end of the tube is secured beneath strap 23a. The belt is now applied to the body just below the arms, as illustrated in Fig. 2, with the ends of the belt on the front of the wearers body, and said ends are connected by proper manipulation of the hooks I5 of the sliding fastener, or by proper manipulation of the other means utilized for detachably connecting the ends of the belt.

Inasmuch as the belt is located on the upper portion of the wearers body, and the greater portion of the air within the belt being located in the upper portions of the chambers therein, the buoyancy of the belt will exert a certain amount of lifting eiect on the upper portion of the wearers body, thereby tending to lift the upper p0rtion of the body and maintain the wearers head above the surface of the water.

The belt is constructed so that when properly inflated, its over all thickness does not exceed an inch or inch and a half, and thus the belt, when worn, does not in any way interfere with the free movements of the wearer and his arms while in the water, or while swimming.

My improved swimming belt may be constructed in different sizes, so as to fit conveniently upon children and adults of different sizes, and in some instances, it may be found desirable to form the body of the belt in two parts, and to connect the rear ends of said parts by elastic tapes, such as T, Fig. '7, or by adjustable connections such as straps, tapes or cords.

By forming the walls of the belt of rubber or rubberized fabric and vulcanizing the narrow strips of the walls directly to each other to form the pockets I8 and 2l, the belt is rendered buoyant without the necessity for employing an inflatable insert in the pockets or chambers between the walls.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a swimming belt that is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture and very effective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved swimming belt may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A swimming belt, comprising apair of identical walls composed of flexible waterproof material of sufficient length to encircle a wearers body, the vertical and horizontal edges of which walls are secured to each other, narrow vertically disposed portions of the walls being secured to each other to form a plurality of vertically disposed air chambers, the lower portions of which chambers are bifurcated to form relatively short, narrow vertically disposed air chambers, the upper ends of the first mentioned air chambers communicating with each other and the lower ends of the small air chambers communicating with each other.

2. A swimming belt, comprising a pair of identical walls composed of flexible waterproof material of sufficient length to encircle a wearers body, the vertical and horizontal edges of which walls are secured to each other, narrow Vertically disposed portions of the walls being secured to each other to form a plurality of vertically disposed air chambers, the lower portions of which chambers are bifurcated to form relatively short, D

narrow vertically disposed air chambers, the upper ends of the first mentioned air chambers communicating with each other, the lower ends of the small air chambers communicating with each other, a exible tube secured to the upper portion of the belt and communicating with the upper portion of one of the narrow vertically disposed air chambers and a strap secured on the outer one of the flexible walls to receive'and hold the end of said flexible tube and means for securing the belt upon the wearers body.

ABEL J. BOUDREAUX. 

